Spartan IVX
by Unknown1990
Summary: The Brute War wages on after the destruction of The Ark. The Covenant are building a massive space weapon to destroy all that stand in their path. One man is sent to the Brute Homeworld to divert their attention. Please R
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Halo, I am not making profit off of this story (though how cool would it be if it was chosen for a new Halo book by Bungie?) Anyway. Please read and enjoy, post any questions or criticism in review and I will answer.

**0700 HOURS, JULY 23, 2602 (MILITARY CALENDAR)**

**EARTH, FORT ACKERSON, ONI UNDERGROUND BASE**

"It is a suicide mission to send a single man into Brute controlled space. Let alone the Brute home world." Admiral Philips said as he followed Colonel James Ackerson Jr. down the cold and damp hallway of the Fort Ackerson Cell Block. Admiral Philips had been asked to come by Colonel Ackerson after being contacted by the Elite controlled force now called the Republic by human forces. Philips was an aging man, in his mid forties with salt and peppered hair and wise brown eyes. The white dress suit he wore was decorated with medals from various conflicts during the Brute war which had started the day The Ark was destroyed. The sides were drawn when the Separatists and Loyal Grunts and Hunters took their positions. The Brute force greatly outnumbered the Elite force and the Republics new allies, the UNSC had come to its aides but could only provide a small portion of their fleet as civil war had once again struck the Human race as they once again began to expand their colonies outwards.

"No it is only a suicide mission if you send someone who is afraid to die. The Spartan IV program was the most rigorous program to date. There were 100 possible candidates. The reason the pool was so small was because of a single genetic trait we wished for all of them to have, resistance to the Flood. Much like the famous Sergeant Avery Johnson, but Johnson got his immunity due to exposure to radiation, but scientist soon found that there were genetic traits in some humans that also emitted similar effects. One hundred children became our pool of possible candidates. Fifty of them died during the augmentation. Another 49 died during final training. The last one was Spartan-D13, Fredrick Hyson, picked up on Earth at the age of six. He was an orphan, parents left during the second exodus to find the remaining Halos after it was shown they were habitable planets no matter how dangerous they were. They left him as a child in the care of a family on Earth. He was picked up on by a scout passing through the area and after a blood test it was shown he had the necessary qualities to become part of the project. Here we are twenty years later." Ackerson put his eye to a biometric check station and placed his hand on a panel. The confirmation light blinked green and a foot thick door slid open to a viewing room.

A two way mirror split the room from a larger room where a bed was bolted and chained down and a sink was sunk into the wall. In the center of the room sitting was a man who was pasty white from lack of sunlight and had beyond regulation length black hair. He was wearing a form fitting white one piece that showed a rippling muscular form. Even though the man was sitting down it was easy to tell he was close to seven feet tall.

"Spartan-XIV, the last surviving member of the Spartan IV project. He is mentally unstable from seeing the loss of his entire company. He was the designated leader and easily the best. This combined with his unstable condition made him extremely deadly. He is unusable in any squad operation or any operation that will give him the ability to escape as that is exactly what he will do. A suicide mission is the perfect mission for him." Ackerson said grimly as the man in the room lifted his head and turned cold grey eyes toward the two-way mirror.

"Ackerson.. Spying is not a nice thing to do.." The voice traveled across the speakers in the room which was heavily monitored. "There is someone with you.. I can almost hear his breathing." The Spartan said before standing.

Ackerson pushed a button on a console. "Don't be absurd, you can't hear anything in this room and you know it. Now shut up and I might let you out of your hole." Ackerson disengaged the talk button and turned to Philips. "He does not take order well and has been a nuisance ever since he got here. This mission is perfect for a renegade like him."

"Alright… This is on your head Ackerson. If he causes any more harm than needs to be done or comes back here it is going to be your ass on the line not mine." Philips and turned to leave the room his face full of worry. Ackerson frowned after the man before turning back to stare through the mirror at Spartan-X, he engaged the talk button again and sighed heavily.

"I have a mission for you Fredrick. One of utmost importance… The Elites have sent us an image of a new ship being designed by the Brute forces. The ship is larger than the historical space city known as High Charity. Its shielding has been doubled and its capacity for destruction great. It isn't as elegant as the Elite cruisers but by what the spies have gathered in the field of battle with a fleet of ships it has the capability to destroy planets. Not just glass them but obliterate them. It is said that the Brutes already have a database of non-religious sites marked for destruction. Now they are asking for help, a diversion for them to send in the capital fleet to take on the ship. A diversion that will have eyes and ears all facing the surface not space. That is where you come in. You will be given your new MJOLNIR Mk VIII armor and sent in using a Slipspace Orbital Drop Pod. You will be on your own until the Elite fleet arrives. You are Operation Divert in its entirety. Good luck Fredrick…" Ackerson said before disengaging the talk button. The Spartan had remained motionless and wordless for the entire thing and Ackerson knew he was processing the information and thinking it over already planning for a mission that he had yet to get the full details on. Ackerson smiled slightly, "Good bye Fredrick… Maybe I'll see you someday again."

--

Authors Note: Please R&R. Intelligent criticism is a good thing please help me out by giving me pointers and pointing out any flaws. I'll have the next chapter up as soon as possible.


	2. Chapter 2

Second Chapter, any questions posted for the first chapter will be answered in the third. Please read and enjoy.

**1230 HOURS, JULY 26, 2602 (MILITARY CALENDAR)**

**UNKNOWN SYSTEM, PLANET CODENAMED "STRONGHOLD"**

**SLIPSPACE ORBITAL DROP POD**

There were no alarms, no screaming of wind or fear of death. The pod began to heat up as it pushed its way through the atmosphere of Stronghold the ONI name for the Brute home world. The pod rattled slightly as its computers readjusted its vector a small dull screen showing changing latitude and longitude as the angle became more and more shallow. A timer rapidly dropped closer to zero as the pod shook. Scout images showed the Brute home world was covered in dense jungle of similar composition to Earth's jungles. The midday temperature generally rose to nearly 120 degrees Fahrenheit and with combined humidity could feel much hotter. The Brutes had constructed large cities near rivers and lakes staying near water supply. No one knew what kinds of creatures resided on the planet and what Spartan X would encounter when he landed. They knew a very large fleet was over the planet and millions of Separatists Grunts and Hunters were there among the Brutes, Jackals and Drones. Engineers were also on the planet, but as Engineers did not choose a side in the Brute War they were considered neutral.

For once the timer was dead on. Spartan X exhaled the air in his lungs as the pod struck a tree and was flung out of control into the ground. Metal screeched on rock as the pod spun on its center of gravity on a downhill slope. Knowing he could be heading for a cliff X pulled the hatch release and the door flung off. Grabbing the two large bags on either side of form fitting body holster he leapt from the careening craft into the underbrush. The pod continued another hundred yards before smashing into a rock and coming still. Instantly X drew the hilt to his energy sword. It was on benefit of now having technological trading between Elites and Humans. His Mk VIII armor had active camouflage which was activated while he listened to his surroundings. He needed to find cover and a base of operations. He was one man cut off from all contact on a planet with an estimated four billion enemies on it. Lifting the two satchel bags again his active camo compensating to surround them he quietly slinked off.

**Aboard Brute Cruiser **_**Hammer of the Gods**_

"Where did that pod land?" Fleet Commander Rakituluss barked at the radar operator sitting at his left.

"Near Misyrt. A patrol has already been sent to investigate." The radar operator, a Grunt said, its purple armor gleaming in the blue light of the bridge.

"The Prophet of Rage wishes to speak to you Fleet Commander." The com operator, another Brute said looking uncomfortable in his position. Brutes were not meant for the close confines of space ships, at least not the Elite designed ships. Rakituluss wished he could command one of the Brute constructed ships in position around him, they were fortress like able to take damage not yet seen by the humans.

"I shall return. Keep monitoring that pod." He barked and moved from the bridge down the ramp passing a dozen armed Brute guards. It was easy to navigate the ships interior to the Atrium where the Prophet of Rage stood. Rage had taken command after the unfortunate death of the Prophet of Truth. Rakituluss took a knee in front of the Prophet.

"Rise Rakituluss. I have great news for you my most loyal subject. The council and I have agreed that you have earned the right to command the _Fist of Rage_. You shall use the weapon ship to destroy our enemies and their worlds until none can stand before the might of the Covenant." Rage spoke slowly and as the words entered Rakituluss's brain a sense of pride filled his chest.

"Thank you your Holiness, I shall not fail you." The Brute moved his right arm across his chest and bowed his head. "Hail the Gods and may the heresy come to a violent end when I destroy their worlds.

**Jungle outside of Misyrt**

X moved carefully through the trees, he had found a place to stash his weapons and now was patrolling a mile radius around it. It was well out of the way of the drop pod and near a rather large city which had a constant guard patrolling it. X had counted two dozen Wraiths ready to go into action and there were regular patrols of Choppers sent out into the jungle. He didn't know if these were for him or if they were just training exercises to keep the Brute troops ready for action. The sniper rifle was directed down a visible street and he could see young Brutes and families walking around, something that hadn't been recorded before. Young Brutes were about the size of Grunts, covered in fur and violent. Five were in a brawl at the moment punching and clobbering one another. They were like lion cubs fighting was seen as a learning experience most likely. Especially if one looked at older Brutes, all of it had to come from somewhere.

Now the only question was what is he supposed to do? Ackerson said the Elites needed a distraction, but what would be a big enough distraction to have the fleet above the planet looking down at the planet? The cities… That was the answer. If enough cities came under attack the Brutes above would be scrambled and become confused, if only he could turn the Separatists against their new commanders. Could he incite rebellion in the ranks that would not only start here but spread throughout the entire fleet? Yes he could… But how could he accomplish that?

The scope was rising to look at the pair of Hunters guarding the main gate into the city. Their blue armor glinted in the sunlight, parts of their soft orange bodies exposed underneath. He couldn't easily kill a Hunter and frame it on a Brute. But he could kill a Brute and frame it on a Hunter. He would have to watch their patrol patterns and see if there was a point where Hunters crossed paths with a single Brute in relative seclusion where they couldn't be seen by others.

A Jackal broke his chain of thought as two shield wielders passed by underneath his ridge growling at one another. The automatic translators the Elites had installed changed the message into understandable words; _The thermals showed something strange up here, something colder than the air. I think it is probably just a Vsaurp but the Captain wants us to look._ The orange shielded Jackal said as it circled the rocky point up to his location. He stayed perfectly still as they drew near their talking ceasing. Using his neural implants he activated the back camera so he could see behind himself without turning his head, the left side camera was also activated. The Jackals grew closer and his hands released the sniper rifle letting it rest on its bipod. The big eyes of the aliens moved to the grass as the rifle settled plasma pistols forward, but it was already too late for them. Strong hands wrapped around each vulture like neck and both were tossed off the cliff before they could react. The bodies plummeted bouncing off the path then dropping another fifty feet to the jungle below. He moved quickly to snatch up the sniper rifle and headed towards the city in a low crouch. He needed to move before the bodies were found, yes it would look like they fell but he was sure they would figure out they hadn't just fallen.

It took half an hour to get to the city through the jungle quietly and he once again lay in the prone position just in front of the gate. Now he could see there were multiple sensors and alarms at the gate. He grinned, how unfortunate for them that he could easily jump their fence and be within their city in a matter of seconds. It hit him that why only kill a Brute and make it look like a Hunter did it when he could also kill a couple Grunts and make it look like a Brute did it. Nothing else could crush a Grunts methane tube with its bare hands on the planet other than a Brute. He would wait for it to get darker before he made his move.

**6 HOURS LATER**

The large yellow sun was finally drifting below the horizon, and the bodies of the Jackals had been found but he had heard the Brute bringing them in chuckle about them falling off the cliff. Good they thought the aliens just fell to their deaths and no foul play had any part. The sniper rifle was left where it was a special NAV marker placed on the stock that his own personal sensors could pick up and only his own personal sensors. It was pushed snuggly under some bushes where it couldn't be accidentally stumbled upon and then he set out. He moved to where the fence met the jungle. He hoisted his still camouflaged form up into a tree at level with the branch. Darting across the branch he pushed off and flipped over the fence and landed in an alley between two large buildings. There was a group of young Brutes in the alleyway shoving around a Grunt.

"Come on shorty, methane-breather fight back!" The largest of the young Brutes taunted the defenseless Grunt shoving him against the wall.

"No leave me alone, pleaseee." The Grunt squealed in agony while one Brute punched its exposed forehead. X broke this Brutes snack with a savage fist to the head this way the neck broke downwards so it looked like a Hunters heavy blow. The next four died similarly leaving the Grunt and the largest youth who looked around in anger rising fists. A hand clenched the methane pipe of the Grunt between the mask and the chest plate of the suit and then another downward smash killed the Brute.

In an instance there was motion at the end of the alleyway and a Hunter came trotting down the alleyway its partner left at the entrance. X moved to the wall as a side door slid open and what appeared to be a female Brute came out and roared in anger. His translators handled the rest.

"What did you do to my boys you overgrown worm?!" The Brute roared and swung a fist at the Hunter hitting its soft orange spot and causing it to growl in anger. The heavy shield was raised and smashed into the Brute woman's head crushing it.

A squad of Brutes appeared at the end of the alleyway as this happened and the five creatures roared in protest. X decided to leave as Shredder and Brute Shot rounds launched down the alleyway at the Hunter. He slipped into an adjoining alleyway which met another alleyway and made a run to the fence. Using a large cylindrical dumpster to hoist himself up he left the city in similar fashion to the way he entered it. He wondered if it would be enough to start a rebellion. Only time would tell, he guessed he would know by morning.

--\\

Authors Note: As mentioned before, all questions for the first and second chapters will be answered at the beginning of the third. If there are none it will just be the third chapter. Thank you for reading the second chapter of "Spartan XIV". I'll post the next chapter as soon as possible.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Halo or any of its characters, I do own my characters whom I've created for the purpose of this story. Thanks for reading.

**0700 HOURS, JULY 28, 2602 (MILITARY CALENDAR)**

**SOL SYSTEM, UNSC CRUISER **_**CHAOTIC FURY**_

**JUST OUTSIDE OF MARS ORBIT**

"Admiral Philips, we have decoded the transmission from the Republic Armada. They are saying they have received reports from the Brute home world that there is an upsetting in the Covenant alliance. Separatists Hunters and Grunts are in an uproar over the murder of a Grunt and a pair of Hunters. The Brutes are also in an uproar over the fact that a group of Brute youths were also killed on the same evening along with an adult Brute female. They say that the Covenant once again teeters on edge and that already some Separatist Grunt and Hunters are attempting to contact those in the Republic to try and somehow jump sides." The communications operator read off from the decoded message that the _Chaotic Fury _had received a day before.

"That seems like good news to me. Send a message to Colonel Ackerson that I wish to meet with him." Admiral Philips said as he reread the message which had been transferred to his personal screen. "It seems that son of a gun was right, that man could cause a distraction."

"I'm sorry sir?" The com operator asked.

"Nothing." Philips said firmly and looked at Petty Officer Keyes then back to the screen.

"Yes sir, the message has been sent to Colonel Ackerson, we should be returning back to Earth within the day."

The _Chaotic Fury _ had been sent out past Saturn's rings to gain the transmission picked up on a relay satellite, there had been some problems transmitting the signal to earth so the ship had been sent. When no problems were found with the satellite the data was gathered and then decoded. The technicians gave the theory that a sunspot had stopped the transmission. Philips didn't take any strides to understand, the problem had been solved so they could continue without worry.

**1450 HOURS, JULY 29, 2602 (MILTIARY CALENDAR)**

**UNSC ORBITAL MAC PLATFORM **_**OASIS**_

**COMMAND PLATFORM**

"Colonel Ackerson, Admiral Philips has been awaiting your arrival." A civilian greeter at the desk said as Ackerson entered the lobby. _Oasis _was a MAC platform but was populated by civilians as well do to its popularity among the now thousands of civilian transporters and pilgrims heading out and coming back and thus the lower decks had been converted into a mall and hotel which had easy access to the Orbital Repair Platform for docking ships.

"Thank you." Ackerson nodded and removed his cap from wavy black hair. Ackerson was probably one of the most well known figures in the entire UNSC because of his family legacy. His father had pioneered and started the Spartan III Project, yes after Onyx had been declared an utter failure, but its secret successes outweighed the negatives. His father had also made sure he saw his ideals on war and that everything had to be sacrificed in order to survive. The man was in his early thirties yet he was already a Colonel, yes his father pulling some strings had helped greatly before his death but his own career was illustrious. He had been on the forefront of the fleet that had driven the remaining Brute warships from Human controlled space. They had lost only 5 of their fleet and utterly decimated the Brute fleet. Some scratched their heads as to why the Army Colonel was leading the fleet but none were arguing after the battle above Reach. He had earned the respect of the UNSC that day.

"Colonel." Ackerson turned to face Admiral Philips and placed his cap back on his hand. The men shook hands in a formal manner before moving into the office.

Ackerson's father had met Admiral Philips at the beginning of the Spartan IV project, Philips helped gather up the children for transportation. When the project moved into his son's hands, Ackerson had asked Philips to keep an eye on his son, which Philips agreed to. The younger Ackerson had grown on the man and had proved himself worthy at a very young age. The new Colonel Ackerson had taken over his father's work quickly, but with a different air, he wasn't as cold or hostile as his father. Some thought this would prove him weak in the world of military politics or even battle, but neither fear proved true. His father had taught him well.

"The transmission we received was from the Republic. They say there is some tension within the Covenant. A group of young Brutes, a Brute female, a Grunt and a pair of Hunters were killed within a matter of minutes. It seems the Brute children killed the Grunt, a Hunter killed all of the Brutes and a squad of Brutes killed the Hunters. It seems this is causing a tremor of anger among all parties involved. So it seems your Spartan worked and there might be a suitable distraction in order for the Republic fleet to move in." Philips said as he sat on a comfortable chair at the large meeting table.

"This is good news, but any news on the fate of Fredrick?" Ackerson said while he settled into his own chair.

"Well no bodies have been recovered by the Brutes, I am sure we would have heard about that. But it seems there is little chance we will get him off that planet alive, even if we use ships in conjunction with the Elites. They are planning a hit and run move, they can't maintain a sustained attack against the home world. Much like Earth the Brutes not only have ships in orbit but cities like High Charity with hundreds of plasma turrets. There is also their space weapon, it might be operational and ready to move, if it joins the fight it would destroy an entire fleet on its own. Even though his mission might have been a success Fredrick will be stuck on that planet." Philips leaned forward to rest his elbows on the table. "Unless…"

"Unless what?" Ackerson also leaned forward as though to whisper to Philips.

"Well, there is a prowler designated by the UNSC as a high rated criminal vehicle. It is owned and operated by Nikolai Raade a smuggler. He has repeatedly gotten through the defense platforms here at Earth and around different planets that are being terraformed. He is wanted by the UNSC for not only stealing the prowler he operates but stealing fissile materials from armories and selling them to the rebels that have formed out of the thousands of pilgrim ships not wanting to suffer under UNSC rule anymore. There is a strong possibility he could get within the Brute defenses and pick up Fredrick, but I doubt he'd be willing to help us. There may be little chance of bribing him as well. He doesn't seem to care about adding to his record or clearing it for that matter." Philips cupped his chin in thought, "Do you really want to get Fredrick back this badly?"

"No. It was a suicide mission, he knew it, I knew it, no changing it now. He has done his duty and he will die there." Ackerson finished with a nod, "Thank you for relaying this information to me Admiral, I shall see you soon." Ackerson stood and turned to leave.

"Good bye Ackerson." Philips said watching the back of the man's head.

**1600 HOURS, JULY 29, 2602 (MILITARY CALENDAR)**

**SOL SYSTEM, PROWLER **_**BOUNTIFUL ENDEAVOR**_

**OUTSIDE OF EARTH ORBITAL DEFENSE GRID, WITHIN LUNAR ORBIT**

"How is it that a cruiser of that size missed your scan, Felix?" Nikolai yelled at the ships A.I. as the UNSC cruiser crept closer from the sunlit side of the moon. The Prowler was tucked close to the moon's surface all of its stealth systems operating. Nikolai was trying not to rip the A.I.'s chip from the console and crush it under foot.

"It was being hidden by solar radiation. I am sorry Nikolai. It has not seen us yet though if that is any consolation." Felix said lowly on speakers.

"Yes but now it is going to come within feet of our hull and that is something that cannot be good. Any adjustment by them and we are going to be smashed into oblivion because we can't move." Nikolai growled in anger as he watched the monitor. His close cropped blonde hair was standard military length but the tattoos adorning his body were something the UNSC didn't allow. A black spider covered the top of his hand legs splaying down his fingers in pairs. A skull and crossbones circled his eyes with his eye ret in the center of the skulls forehead. He scratched his blonde beard and nervously watched the readings. The cruiser was going to come within five feet of the hull; if anything was sticking out they'd be hit and noticed.

"We've been doing this for years Felix; you've never messed up before." He muttered and gripped the arm rests of his chair. He was the only human on his ship, it was hard to maintain it by himself, though Felix made it easier. He was one of the best A.I.'s in the universe. The A.I. had been on the ship before he stole it and once he had the A.I. had changed to an adventurous fool admitting that his routine tasks on the prowler had been absolutely boring and dreadful. Now the A.I. got to break into systems, try and confuse ships and got to play all the solitaire his heart desired even though he could beat the game three thousand times within a matter of seconds.

"I said I'm sorry, I am not perfect you know." Felix said defensively from the speakers.

"Yeah yeah, well if we get through this I won't be mad at your anymore." Nikolai grumbled as the ship began to pass. It was over in a matter of seconds, the seconds seemed like hours though. "Okay now onwards to Earth, we need to find out where the hell we can score some nukes."

"Yes, Nikolai, if you need me I'll be moving us to Earth and catching up on the latest secret transmissions from Earth." Felix said and the monitors dimmed as power was transferred.

**UNKNOWN HOURS, JULY 29, 2602 (MILITARY CALENDAR)**

**UNKNOWN SYSTEM, PLANET CODENAMED "STRONGHOLD"**

**WITHIN BRUTE CITY MISYRT**

The city had descended into chaos over the last day. Hunter and Grunt groups had formed near the gate Spartan X had crossed. With the Grunts numbers and Hunter strength they had successfully held off the Brute and Jackal attacks. But they were on enemy turf and the Brutes were gaining more and more numbers. X had figured if the Hunters and Grunts had the Elites on their sides the battle would be more even. The Hunters were limited to their cannons and their sheer size cut off many of the buildings in the Brute city. With the Brutes in Power Armor they could easily hold out longer than the Grunts and Hunters. The Hunters and Grunts needed cooperation and strategy, something both species lacked. This had caused a change of plan in Spartan Xs original plan. The rebellion would end soon and the diversion would end something that could not be allowed to happen. He now saw it from a strategical stand point, if the Hunters and Grunts would once again break away from the Brutes and join their counterparts on the Elite side the Brutes would be weakened.

The BR fired and three rounds entered a Jackals head. He rolled through the doorway elbowing another Jackal in the head and unloading three bursts onto a Brute whose power armor sparked. A spike grenade was flung at the Brute jabbing into his armor. X ducked below a block of stone that seemed to be a table and the grenade exploded. He stood and moved to the body to rummage through the remains. The Brute Shot was snatched up into his right hand and a deactivated plasma grenade jabbed into the barrel. He made sure the clip was loaded and moved onto the exposed balcony. He pushed the detonator of the plasma grenade and the ball lit up bright blue. He tossed the Brute shot to the street below where it landed behind a Brute defensive position. The grenade exploded seconds later along with the six Brute grenades in the weapon sending shrapnel into the six Brutes and four Jackals.

His automatic grappling hook was launched at the opposite building. The electromagnetic tip activated and stuck to the metal of the buildings exoskeleton. He stepped off the balcony swinging down to the street below. It disengaged a half second before he landed and was back to his right wrist in less time. His left hand swung and the BR burped another burst into a squirming Jackal body behind the barricade. He kneeled and grabbed up plasma grenades and one of the Jackal wrist shields. Standing he swung to look up at a squad of Choppers rolling his way. They seemed ready for blood since they hadn't had any action in months. The BR was slid to his back where the magnetic clips grabbed it. The end of the grappling hook was extended into his hand and a plasma grenade was placed in the other. Four choppers, he challenged himself to destroy all of them in record time.

The Brutes at the wheels seemed to snicker as they saw the lone Spartan standing before him. X's wrist jerked and the grapple was flung at the lead Chopper and sticking itself to the wheel. He rolled left as it passed and the plasma grenade was thrown on the second Chopper, his free left hand clasping the blade of the third Chopper. His shields flared as the grapple wire jerked taut, the Chopper ripped around at trying to pull a half ton Spartan and a multi-ton Chopper. The Chopper he was holding back reversed and slipped from his grasp and the other Chopper also reversing jerked him off his feet towards it. His shields fully recharged mid air and he disconnected the magnetic grapple. His feet extended and struck the turning Brute driver square in the chest shattering his power armor and shoving him off the Chopper. X landed on the other side, the Chopper he stuck a grenade too exploding, showing the matter of seconds that had separated him hitting it and moving into action. A chunk of smoldering metal landed nearby and he snatched it up to hold down the throttle on the Chopper. He grabbed the rear end and struggled to turn the vehicle in the direction he wished for it to go. The two remaining Choppers were gunning at him. He jabbed in the fire button from the back while lifting his feet off the ground. The guns on the Chopper opened up spraying at the two enemy Choppers whom he was heading straight at. He counted down seconds then stuck his second plasma grenade to the seat of the chopper. Releasing the back of the Chopper he landed on the street and continued counting seconds. The chopper exploded next to the two enemies and they both erupted in flames smashing into each other and skidding to a halt.

A spike bounced off his shields and he swung to face the remaining Brute who finally stood tearing the power army from his chest. The rhino skinned flesh of the beast was bruised underneath and it tossed its weapon to the side. X grinned underneath his helmet and sprinted at the creature. It hunkered down and charged him like a gorilla. He pushed off the ground and corkscrewed over the beast that swung a giant fist. The sword hilt was removed from his waist and the blade activated in mid air. He flipped to land, the Brute sliding to turn to face him, he was faster though and the sword was jabbed into the creature's stomach, burning the flesh and internal organs. The blade was pulled out and deactivated leaving the street silent and strewn with wreckage.

His speakers came to life the translators processing.

"Demon. Turn and face us."

X turned to the pair of battle scarred Hunters both of which had a fuel rod gun trained on him.

"That was impressive, now we must ask what you are doing here." Their voices were strange, it seemed like hundreds of them were talking at once.

"I am an emissary from the Elites to lead the rebellion for the Hunters and Grunts that left to the Brutes side to rejoin their brethren within the republic." The voice relayed in a sound of whistles in grunts through his speakers in Hunter language.

The two large beasts seemed to consider this looking at one another seeming to talk telepathically, then they both turned to him again.

"You will help us fight the Brutes Demon?"

"Yes, I will."

"Then you must come with us. The others will wish to meet you and know your plans. There will be more Brutes and though we've been taught not to trust humans. It seems we cannot trust those who told us to mistrust them. Follow us Demon." The Hunters turned and jogged down the street, X soon followed.

--\\

X is about to meet up with the rest of the Hunter/Grunt forces within Misyrt, we shall see what happens. Thanks for reading this far, I hope you are enjoying this.


	4. Chapter 4

Leave space for answers………

**UNKNOWN HOURS, JULY 30, 2602 (MILITARY CALENDAR)**

**UNKNOWN SYSTEM, ABOARD **_**FIST OF RAGE**_

**ABOVE PLANET CODENAMED "STRONGHOLD"**

"The Hunters and Grunts must be stopped, this rebellion is spreading throughout the fleet. We thought they had loyal joined our sides, but now we see we were wrong. Like the Elites they must be cast from our Covenant. We shall quell this rebellion and then we will burn our enemies into dust." Rakituluss spoke into the podium serving as his console on the _Fist of Rage_, his voice was being heard across the entire fleet and across the surface below. "Take heed my brothers, there has been recent evidence that a human has infiltrated our planet, find him and kill him. The first Brute with his head shall receive great honors when the Great Journey begins again. The humans may have stopped us the first time, but they can not stop the inevitable. Prepare to make way." The last part was directed at the bridge crew, all of whom began to work as preparations were made to undock.

"Slipspace rupture, signatures match Elite ships. They are coming right for us!" The radar operator shouted from the side.

"Trayyulun, move your group into their path. Get this ship underway now!" Rakituluss roared as the bridge crew doubled their effort. The massive clasps holding the ship in place released and huge engines on the _Fist of Rage_ activated the large ship dwarfing the hundred cruisers around it. "Charge Plasma cannons! Launch half of our Seraph fighters. Charge shields to full power."

Bright flashes of plasma lit up the view screens from the Elite ships, Trayyulun's group of ships move into position to take the brunt of the assault.

"The count is three hundred and fifty Elite ships, mostly large cruisers." The radar operator snapped from the side.

"Charge the Forerunner Cannon!" Rakituluss roared at the central weapons conduit. The Brutes hurriedly began to work.

"Plasma cannons at one hundred percent!" The lead weapon captain yelled.

Plasma torpedoes struck the shield which flared, "Multiple hits, shields down 20 percent." Another operator said over the noise of different alarms.

"See that Elites your weapons did nothing! Plasma cannons fire when locked!" Rakituluss ordered.

"Commencing firing on acquired targets."

One hundred streaks of plasma flew from the ship heading towards the Elite ships. They were a diversion, designed on the ship to weaken ships and lower shields while other ships went for the kill, they were defensive.

"Forerunner Cannon at twenty percent, optimal ship destroying power."

"Acquire firing vector for Elite flagship." Rakituluss ordered.

"Firing vector acquired. It hasn't been hit yet its shields are full."

"Perfect test then. Fire!" Rakituluss said with almost a grin of glee.

The ship jerked and the lights dimmed. The Forerunner Cannon was adapted from the Sentinel beam, made billions of times larger and coupled with a powerful energy source. The blue beam struck through space in a straight line at high velocity. Within seconds it struck the Elite flagship, _Immortal Sword_, the energy ships flared for milliseconds before failing. A hole melted cleanly in the ships armor and for a second it seemed all was fine as the beam disappeared into the ship, then near the engines another hole melted and the beam shot through and into a frigate behind the large ship cutting through it even faster. The beam held firm for ten seconds before the computers automatically cut it for it to cool down.

_Immortal Sword, _hung in space for what seemed like hours still moving forward, then the kilometer wide hole burned in its forehead burst with blue flame as thousands of explosions rocked the ship. It began to list diving toward Stronghold while its outer hull cracked like an eggshell blue lines bursting around it. The frigate that had been behind it vaporized in a fireball that quickly went out. The entire battle seemed to stand still, everyone was watching the mighty ship sink. _Immortal Sword_ tore apart on contact with the atmosphere spreading debris for one thousand square kilometers on Strongholds sky.

"Open a com on broadcast mode." Rakituluss said with a sick chuckle.

"Com link open." The Brute at the com console almost whispered as the screen still showed the debris field.

"You have seen the power of this ship. You should leave now Elites and protect your worlds, as that is where we are coming next." Rakituluss finished with a chuckle and turned off the link with a flick of a switch.

The Elites took the message and turned their damaged ships around and those that could entered Slipspace. Those that couldn't were picked apart by the still strong Brute fleet.

"I wish to test this ship at full power. Make move for the second planet from our sun, it is inhabitable and will make the perfect test." Rakituluss said feeling a sick sense of pride, "Pathetic Elites and Humans you shall all die!"

**UNKNOWN HOURS, JULY 30, 2602 (MILITARY CALENDAR)**

**HUNTER/GRUNT STRONGHOLD, CITY OF MISYRT**

X watched the debris fall onto the city, most were burnt down into small chunks. It remained him of a hailstorm on Earth. The Hunters and Grunts also watched, some showing their fear at the destruction of the Elite ship. X noticed this and turned to face the crowd of nearly two hundred Grunts and fifty Hunters in front of him.

He tapped a button on his helmet alternating left speaker to Grunt and right speaker to Hunter. "Do not fear the Brutes yes they may have destroyed an Elite ship, but that is the Elites. Not the mighty Hunter or the clever Grunt. The Brutes do not respect you, you are merely cannon fodder and weapons to them. Change that mindset, show them your true strengths. We can defeat them, and they say it is impossible to kill a Demon, and here I am."

He could feel some of their spirits raise as all eyes stared at him. Some Grunts whispered to one another and he knew the Hunters were probably talking to each other in their weird symbiotic way.

"I know I am a human and you've been told that humans are abominations to your cause, we stand in the way and we should be killed. Yet now they cast you aside, saying you are not worthy of the Great Journey. Prove them wrong."

"Yes, let us kill the hairy monkeys!" A Grunt near the front yelled through his methane breather." All of the Grunts yelled as well. The Hunters growled their approval.

"Alright.. The Brutes are holed up in the central temple dedicated to the forerunners. There is a gravity beam right into a square in the center of the temple. We need to take that ship and escape this planet and get out of the planets air space." X thought rapidly to all the tactical situations he had presented to him during training, and where his teammates had failed.. No they hadn't failed, they had been shot with live rounds, no, stay away from that place. "Grunts you need to gather as many Needlers and Needler ammo as you can as well as Plasma grenades. You will work in groups of ten in tight circles. Watch out for plasma grenades and Brutes. Needlers form around those with other weapons and pump as many rounds as you can at the Brutes. Twenty pairs of Hunters will accompany each group of Grunts and provide the main melee and vehicle defense. We will regroup in approximately twenty minutes and head for the temple. The Hunters will lead the assault in overlapping style in a line shields raised. The Grunts will be in the middle and the remaining hunters will watch our backs because we are sure to be circled. Grunts are to take pot shots when they get a chance and Hunters no matter what you do, do not break formation until we get to the temple."

The Grunts and Hunters seemed to be digesting all of it before a nod went through and they automatically began splitting up. The groups of twelve moved out leaving him with the ten remaining Hunter. X opened a tool slot on his thigh and pulled out a couple of screw drivers and wrenches.

"I need you all to line up for me. I need to calibrate your fuel rod guns so they fire the explosive rounds not those lines of green fire. We are going to need them for tanks and gun emplacements." The Hunters lined up all presenting their guns, already trusting. In the back of his mind X new a couple grenades into their open guns and all of them would die in a fiery green blast, but those thoughts were driven away as he began to open the panel on the first gun.

**1700 HOURS, JULY 30, 2602 (MILITARY CALENDAR)**

**SOL SYSTEM, EARTH ORBIT**

**PROWLER, **_**BOUNTIFUL ENDEAVOR**_

"I have something interesting to tell you Nikolai." Felix said appearing on his pedestal. Any historian would have automatically called him a 80s Rockstar design. He had puffy black hair and a painted black and white fact wearing all black. His attitude matched though.

"What's that Felix?" Nikolai said pushing a hydraulic lift back into place the fifteen containers set within the cargo bay. He hadn't managed to get any nukes, but nearly one hundred and fifty active camo generators was just as good in his eyes.

"It seems a Colonel Ackerson is looking for you. An encoded message was sent into deep space. It says he needs a ship that can get within a fortified planet without being detected to pick up a man he sent. He says the classified information will be sent when you contact him… But… I managed to break into his files and get the coordinates. It is some planet codenamed "Stronghold", labeled Brute home world."

"Well that is interesting Felix, I am guessing you uploaded the coordinates into the computer already?" Nikolai said and planted himself in his command chair.

"You know me so well Nikolai. Shall we go now or later?"

"Lets go now, ol' Admiral Maxim can wait for his goods, bastard owes me money anyway." Nikolai grinned and got comfortable. "To the Brute home world, I want to see if I can crack their defenses.

--\\

Nikolai is getting involved and X is now leading a rag tag bunch of Hunters and Grunts, this could get interesting. The power of the Fist of Rage has been shown, and now the real battle for survival begins.


End file.
